Software architecture and design for facilitating prototyping in distributed virtual environments

Abstract

The invention is a data-handling architecture that exploits the technical advantages offered by object-oriented techniques, classes, data containers, component software, object frameworks, containerization, design patterns, and a central runtime data repository. The architecture is based on the Common Object DataBase (CODB), frameworks, components, objects, information streams, and containers. The software exploits the Extensible Markup Language (XML), employs software gauges, and uses intelligent agents to aid in assembly, diagnosis, evaluation, composition, and re-configuration of a DATE-based application. The architecture of the present invention is defined by highly-modular components where interdependencies are well-defined and minimized. Components define the major aspects of the inventive architecture, objects are used to flesh out the specification, design, and implementation of the components. The invention's architecture can support the dynamic loading of any of the components or major objects in any component required without re-linking or recompiling software. Within the architecture, data is transmitted between components only along information streams within containers using the Extensible Markup Language (XML).

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims priority of the filing date of Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 276,569, filed Mar. 19, 2001, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.GOVERNMENT INTEREST[0002]The invention described herein may be manufactured, used, sold, imported, and / or licensed by or for the Government of the United States of America without the paymant to us of any royalties thereon.FIELD OF INTEREST[0003]The present invention relates to a software architecture and design for enhancing rapid prototyping in distributed virtual environments such as in aircrew training systems, various simulators, database systems, video gaming systems, network management software, commercial accounting software, wireless web software applications, or communications systems.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0004]The run-time challenges for computer-generated actors (CGAs) lie in computing human-like behaviors and reactions to a complex dynam...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to minimize software development cost, data transport cost and software maintenance cost at the architectural and design level.

[0010]These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by a data-handling, software architecture based on a Common Object DataBase (CODB), frameworks, components, objects, information streams, and containers. The architecture is based on and includes object-oriented techniques, classes, data containers, component software, object frameworks, containerization, design patterns, and a central runtime data repository. The present invention uses the Extensible Markup Language (XML) within the present invention for data transmission and for data storage. The present invention achieves the above objects by combining software agents, containers, pallets, slots, and information streams to route and transform data as it moves between the components and objects of a software system on a single host or across the network within a distributed computing system. The invention uses XML to store information in knowledge bases and to transmit information between the system components. The invention also uses software gauges to enable the rapid determination of the accuracy and efficacy of the system, to determine if the performance requirements are met, and to aid in system composition and assembly. The invention enables the incremental growth of the system and incremental growth of knowledge bases. The invention also enables the use of human behavior models to moderate and guide decision making.

[0011]The invention supports multiple levels of fidelity throughout the system and is compliant with the DoD High Level Architecture. The invention supports distributed multiprocessing and the use of software plug-ins at compile-time and run-time. Further, the invention serves to enable more effective use of rapid software prototyping and thereby reduce development time and cost and make the software development process more responsive to changing requirements.

[0012]Essentially, the present invention offers a technique for improvement in component, framework, and object based software development processes and architecture. The invention yields software that has better charactgeristics of information hiding and composability. The invention has lower coupling and lower data transfer costs than software produced using other techniques. The software produced using the invention can be employed within a software architecture that is on a single host or distributed across a network. The invention is an improvement in technology that facilitates rapid prototyping, extreme programming, and geographically distributed software development.

Problems solved by technology

The run-time challenges for computer-generated actors (CGAs) lie in computing human-like behaviors and reactions to a complex dynamic environment at a human-scale rate of time.

Unfortunately, no consensus has emerged concerning the best means to accomplish these tasks and the literature provides minimal insight into the difficulties involved and approaches that have demonstrated potential or proven useful.

Surprisingly, the requirements for CGAs have been addressed infrequently in the literature, but this may be because general-purpose requirements are difficult to enumerate at this stage of the development of the field.

However, no guidelines have been proposed that would allow a system developer to choose a reasoning mechanism based upon a characterization of the problem domain or operational environment.

Associated with the issue of choice of reasoning system are the issues of knowledge acquisition and representation.

Behavior modeling is also an important issue.

In these areas, as in the case of reasoning mechanisms, no consensus has been developed regarding solutions to the issues that are involved, but this may be due to the application-specific solutions proposed in many papers and the stringent demands of the problem domains that were investigated.

A related issue is the modeling of the military command and control processes that the CGAs must operate within.

However, no consensus has emerged.

Planning and inter-CGA coordination are important issues for CGAs, unfortunately little work that has been reported.

As in most areas of CGA technology, no consensus has emerged and there is clearly no superior approach.

Most system rely on the programmer to be very familiar with the system, design, and implementation in order to make changes to the implementation, in general most systems also seem to have very high coupling and a very low degree of information hiding.

Object-oriented inheritance, when used, seems to be favored as an approach; however, the inheritance trees are permitted to grow without bound, which tends to limit the utility and effectiveness of inheritance.

However, some of the resulting systems nevertheless have complex architectures.

Additionally, the question of which architectural approach(es) best suit the CGA domain remains an open problem.

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